The Thunder completed an early renewal with the inside star, but the amount of this contract seems to be a little higher?

According to the authoritative ESPN reporter Shams Charania, the Oklahoma City Thunder will renew the contract with the team's inside star Jaylin Williams, and Williams will receive a three-year contract renewal from the Thunder with a total amount of 24 million. The Thunder abandoned the $2.1 million team option in Williams' contract next season and negotiated a new contract with his agent. Shams also said that the third year part of Williams' contract is a team option.

Williams was born on June 29, 2002 and just celebrated his 23rd birthday. In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Thunder selected the inside star from the University of Arkansas at the 34th pick in the second round. Williams has been an important part of the team's rotation lineup in the past few seasons, and he has also been able to get a lot of playing time. From the perspective of characteristics, Williams also has rich offensive methods and comprehensive scoring ability on the offensive end, and his performance in outside shooting is also quite good. Williams also has some characteristics in passing and supporting, but his performance on the defensive end is still slightly worse, and he also has certain problems in his athletic ability and movement speed.

In the NBA regular season this season, Williams played a total of 47 games due to injuries in 82 games, averaging 16.7 minutes per game, averaging 5.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.6 blocks, and 0.7 turnovers and 1.7 fouls. He shot 43.9%, three-point shooting percentage 39.9%, and free throw shooting percentage 76.7%. In the playoffs, Williams played 17 games in total, with an average of 8.3 minutes per game, averaging 2.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.5 steals and 0.1 blocks, and 0.7 turnovers and 1.8 fouls. He shot 42.9%, three-point shooting percentage 36%, and free throw shooting percentage 54.5%.

Williams' performance in the regular season was actually quite highlighted. He also showed comprehensive personal abilities, and his performance on the offensive end was also quite good and comprehensive. However, in the playoffs, Williams cannot get the opportunity to enter the rotation lineup in every game, and his playing time during the finals was very limited. However, in the series against the Denver Nuggets, Williams actually showed some of his own characteristics and made his own contribution to the team's promotion. Judging from the amount of this contract, Williams' salary is obviously a bit higher. Even if the third year part is not executed, Williams will receive a salary of $16 million in the next two seasons, which is equivalent to his salary in the 2026-27 season being nearly $14 million. The Thunder's total salary is also increasing. Will this contract affect the team's long-term development?